Everything I am about to say here is, as usual, my personal opinion.

To me, a good speaker will be successful in influencing people s/he speaks to, both on and off the platform. So, if you are a genius on the platform and a goof ball in your personal interactions, you have a lot of work to do on yourself before you can claim to be successful.

My stated opinion is based on my belief that we are only successful, to the extent that we are able to apply our skills in different situations, to achieve the goal we want.

And that goal is ultimately to provide satisfactory answers to the audience’s questions, needs or problems, in a way that makes them thank you, and/or ask for more.

When you speak, it could be in a formal, informal or non-formal setting, as I explained some issues back. Your audience size and circumstances can vary depending on a variety of factors. However, YOU will always be the constant, as the speaker who delivers a message to the individual or group audience.

The way I see it, your success as a speaker under varying circumstances has nothing to do with the size of the audience that has to listen to you.

Okay, maybe I should rephrase that. It should have little or nothing to do with the number of people you address.

I say this on the assumption that all other factors remain relatively constant – especially during formal presentations. For instance, with large audiences, the platform, seating arrangement, and acoustics need to be setup to ensure your presentation reaches all audience members effectively. Everyone present should be able to hear what you say clearly.

I also assume that the venue will have been setup to allow you employ your platform skills to maximum effect.

Sometimes however, you may need to put your speaking skills to use in small group settings.

For instance, as the leader of a team in your company, as CEO, or even as the president of your club or other social group. At other times you may have to speak in one-on-one situations with high profile individuals e.g. decision makers in a company you work for.

If you have taken care to prepare yourself adequately, it will rarely matter who you have to speak to, or how many they are. You will find that your passion for your chosen subject will always see you through (to paraphrase a famous speaker).

As usual, and with every sense of responsibility, I am able to say the above, based on personal experience.

In many of my past articles, I have shared anecdotal accounts of how I successfully won appointments with CEOs of companies I approached, even after the gatekeeper had assured me nothing of the sort would happen.

Basically, I act very self-confident every time I get an opportunity to speak to my target individual or group audience. But the confidence I display is always well founded. It comes from knowing my subject throughly. And this has helped me speak with impact even when I addressed large audiences.

Sometimes the “speaking opportunity” with an individual (e.g CEO), would have come at a totally unexpected time, or in an unusual setting.

For instance, I once had to speak to convince a CEO, while members of his team (in a meeting with him) looked on.

Most people feel self-conscious under this kind of situation. I did too.

However, becasue I knew what I had to say, and how to say it, I had no problems passing my message across. By the time I was done, he motioned for one of them to discuss details of what I proposed with me, and arrange a follow up meeting.

Your ability to express yourself in an articulate and convincing manner depends on your speaking prowess.

If you continually nurture it, there is probably no person or groups you speak to, that will not be won over.

That’s why I believe speaking success has little or nothing to do with audience numbers or size.

Instead, it’s about results, in the form of the outcomes you desire, becoming reality. Aim to develop yourself to get what you want, with increasing frequency from those you speak to, and you will succeed just as often.

PS: This article was first published online on Monday 13th August 2012 via www.spontaneousdevelopment.com